FLORIDA SUPREME COURT NEWS
Getting to Know Justice Meredith Sasso By Gary Lesser Justice Meredith Sasso grew up listening to her grandfather’s stories about his experiences living in Cuba. One story profoundly impacted her — the day government officials came to her grandfather’s family farm and took all their livestock. There was no warning, no explanation, no due process. She remembers not having the words to express how it made her feel at such a young age, but says it was the catalyst for a career inspired by the rule of law. On May 23, 2023, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Sasso, Chief Justice of the Sixth District Court of Appeal, to be the 93rd Justice of the Supreme Court of Florida. Justice Sasso filled the vacancy created by the resignation of Justice Ricky Polston. “Stories like those of my grandfather drive me. I am constantly mindful that the liberty we enjoy exists because of real people’s incredible sacrifices,” Justice Sasso said. “I am resolutely committed to fulfilling my judicial role in the manner for which it was intended: as an integral part of the structure of government created expressly to secure liberty for ourselves and our posterity.” Justice Sasso is the seventh woman to serve on the Florida Supreme Court. With this appointment, there are
Justice Meretith L. Sasso (far left) and the current members of the Florida Supreme Court
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HISTORICAL REVIEW
WINTER 2023
now three women sitting on the high court simultaneously for the first time in Florida history. “Justice Sasso has an exceptional intellect and is able to see nuances in the law that even the best legal minds might miss,” said Judge Eric J. Eisnaugle, who served alongside her on the Fifth District Court of Appeal. “At the same time, she is always willing to reconsider her position when presented with a persuasive alternative point of view. I am confident that she will lead the judiciary with distinction for years to come.” Gov. DeSantis cited Justice Sasso’s fidelity to the Constitution while announcing her appointment to the Florida Supreme Court, adding that “as a CubanAmerican woman who understands the importance of our constitutional system and the rule of law, Judge Sasso will serve our state well.” Born and raised in Tallahassee, Justice Sasso grew up across the street from former Florida Supreme Court Justice Joseph W. Hatchett, a trailblazing jurist who was the first African American appointed to the Supreme Court of Florida. After earning her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in 2005, she enrolled at UF’s Levin College of Law with the encouragement of her parents. She remembers sitting in Justice Hatchett’s living room where he shared advice about interviewing with firms. “He was very kind to give me some career advice,” she said. Justice Sasso earned her Juris Doctor from UF in May 2008 and was admitted to The Florida Bar in October of that year. Justice Sasso began her legal career in private practice, representing manufacturers and general contractors in construction disputes, small businesses in business dissolution cases, governmental entities in the defense of workers’ compensation and liability claims, title insurance companies involved in litigated disputes, and banking institutions in foreclosure claims. She then worked as a staff trial attorney for Farmers Insurance, defending negligent security claims, premise liability claims, auto negligence claims and underinsured motorist claims. It was at Farmers that Justice Sasso won her first jury trial, a moment in her career she recalls fondly. “I was thrown into a case that was set for a weeklong jury trial, and I was partnered with a great mentor who tried the case with me,” she said. “We were able to find
